Former Indian cricketer and chairman of the DDCA senior selection committee, Amit Bhandari was attacked by a group of men during the trials for the Under-23 team at St Stephen’s ground.
He was hit on his head and ear with hockey sticks and roads and was taken to the nearby hospital by his colleague Sukhvinder Singh.
The unidentified men fled the spot after the incident. Rajat Sharma, the president of Delhi & Districts Cricket Association told PTI that miscreants will not be spared.
“We are trying to procure all details of the incident. As far as I have come to know, it is regarding one disgruntled player, who didn’t make it to the probables list for the National U-23 tournament.
“The SHO from the local police station has reached the Stephen’s ground and I have personally spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik. The guilty will not go unpunished. I promise exemplary action against whoever is found involved in this misdeed. We will register an FIR,” Sharma said.
Shankar Saini, who is the manager of Delhi’s senior and U-23 teams, shed the light on whole incident.
“I was having my meal along with a colleague inside the tent and Bhandari along with other selectors and senior team coach Mithun Manhas was watching the probables play a trial match.
“A couple of men first came and went up to Bhandari. There were heated exchanges between Bhandari and the two men. They left and before we could gather our thoughts, suddenly some 15 men armed with hockey sticks, rods and cycle chains came charging,” Saini said.
“When the other boys attending the trials along with us rushed to save Bhandari, they started threatening us and one of them said, “Don’t get into this or else we will shoot you.”
“They hit Bhandari with hockey sticks and rods and he sustained head injury,” the former Delhi seamer added.